QUALITYstarsNY - Introduction

QUALITYstarsNY is a comprehensive initiative to ensure that our young children – the 1.5 million New Yorkers under age six – have the opportunity for high quality early learning experiences. QUALITYstarsNY has the potential to create an efficient and effective early learning system that is accountable to investors, easy to access and good for children and families.
QUALITYstarsNY is a quality improvement and recognition system. It is designed to recognize programs that demonstrate quality above and beyond meeting New York’s strong regulatory standards. An effective Quality Rating and Improvement System, whether for center-based or family-based programs, rests on the foundation of a state's regulatory system. New York ranked 2nd among the fifty states, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense on both standards and oversight for centers and ranked 21st on standards and oversight for small family child care homes. QUALITYstarsNY will be designed to improve quality and provide supports such as technical assistance and professional development. Participation in QUALITYstarsNY will not be required; programs that do participate will gain access to support services and financial benefits.